1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a non-volatile memory device and a method of operating the same, more particularly, to a non-volatile memory device capable of reducing program time and a method of operating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, non-volatile memory devices that can be electrically programmed and erased and do not require a refresh function for rewriting data at predetermined intervals are in demand.
A non-volatile memory device may apply a program pulse to word lines of memory cells during a program operation and subsequently perform a pass/fail check operation to check whether the memory cells have been programmed or not by using page buffers coupled to the memory cells.
During the above-described pass/fail check operation, a target page for the program operation is divided into a plurality of regions, and the number of fail bits is sequentially counted in each of the regions of the target page to check whether a fail (that is, a failure to program) that may allow for error correction has occurred in each region. When the number of fail bits is smaller than the number of error correction code (ECC) bits in each region, the program operation is completed. On the other hand, when the number of fail bits is greater than the number of ECC bits in at least one region, the program operation is terminated by determining that the program operation has been unsuccessful.
As for the above-described program operation in the conventional non-volatile memory device, when a pass/fail check operation is performed on a plurality of buffer groups in a sequential manner, the pass/fail check operation continues to be performed sequentially until the last region even if a fail has occurred in the first region, thereby resulting in additional operating time.